New Lexus Cars
New IS Saloon
A long awaited successor to the company's IS200
is expected to be launched before the end of the year.
Expect to see class leading refinement and safety
features. We also hear that the new car will handle
even better than the outgoing model - which is a pretty good drive
itself.
Initially the new IS will be available as a 2.5
litre with an IS250 badge, but the line up is expected to include
a diesel model for the first time ever.
RX400h
Arguably
the most significant new vehicle release of the 2005 will be the RX-400h
- the world's first Hybrid SUV. Clearly there's no way
everyone is going to persuaded to give up large SUVs in favour of
economical and less damaging Aygos and Priuses. So Toyota's
latest luxury hybrid could be hugely significant. 
Lexus RX400h
(Picture Courtesy Lexus Media) Whilst
CO2 ratings of 192g/km can't be considered 'environmentally
friendly' compared with your average saloon car, for an SUV
they're simply amazing. The combined power of the
RX400h's 3.3 litre V6 petrol engine and its 200kW electric motor
can propel the vehicle from 0-60 mph in just 7.6 seconds.
That's considerably faster than a Porsche Cayenne V6 (0-60 approx
9 seconds) which has CO2 rating of 317g/km, and almost as quick as
the V8 Porsche (0-60 approx 6.8 seconds) which has a rating of
380g/km. Prices will start at around £35,000,
rising to about £45,000 which we think is great value for such
awesome vehicles. If you need to drive a 4x4 and expect to
cover significant mileages, then check out how much you would save
on fuel over a 3 year period - it will be a very significant
amount. 
RX400h
(image Courtesy www.pictures-of-cars.com) However, if you're looking
for a really economical hybrid, then you really should be looking
at the Toyota
Prius. New GS Saloon
Lexus's new GS Saloon clearly sets new standards
in safety & comfort. Build quality & reliability
will be, as usual, second to none, and dealers are well known to
be the best in the business. So expect to see even more
people deserting the premium German brands for the up and coming
luxury marque. As usual, there probably won't be the variety
of options you can get on a BMW or Mercedes, but then the Lexus
will be loaded as standard.
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